Author: Scott Olesen

Sometimes baseball teams must just get on their horses and ride them to the finish line. Headed into the middle game of a 3-game set with the Pirates, that’s exactly what the doctor ordered for the Padres, who were on a mini two-game losing streak and were facing the Pirates’ ace, Gerrit Cole, for the second time in less than a week. The big boys were going to have to…

Despite a four-game winning streak which included back-to-back wins over the Pirates, things didn’t look good for the Padres going into the finale of the series with Pittsburgh. On the one hand, Padres starter, Clayton Richard, since the end of June was 0-4 in five starts, having allowed 63 base runners in 27.2 innings. During that time, he had an ugly 8.78 ERA, the highest of any starter in the…

It’s becoming blasé. Another series, another series win. The starting pitcher gives us a solid start. The bullpen does their thing. The bats come through in the clutch. The defense, while not the 2016 Cubs, makes the plays they’re supposed to make. The Padres are not only not tanking, they’re elevating. In Sunday afternoon’s contest against the Giants, like Cortez the Killer (Neil Young reference), Hector Sanchez, the…

Sunday afternoon it was a tale of two stories for the Padres in the series finale versus the Phillies, which ultimately ended in a 7-1 loss for the Friars. From the pitching side of things, Padre hurlers Trevor Cahill, Craig Stammen, Phil Maton, and Jose Torres gave up a combined nine hits through eight innings, with no base on balls, for a nice 1.125 collective WHIP, which normally would spell…

Thanks to Andy Green, I’ve already let it go, but sometimes I just like to rub dirt. When the Padres lollygagged their way into Chicago last Monday, they were afterthoughts to a Cubs’ dream of a repeat, only moving the meter in the hearts of the most die-hard of the Friar faithful. Mere marks in a land of thieves and manipulators. They left as Christians surviving the den of the…

I hear the train a-comin’ Rollin’ round the bend I ain’t seen the sunshine Since I don’t know when – Johnny Cash The Taco Train has had quite a fortnight. It began two Sundays ago when the man Andy Green described as the unquestioned leader of the team, Clayton Richards, spun a complete game against the Arizona Diamondbacks resulting in a 5-1 Padre victory. The game came on the heels…

Wednesday, May 24, 2017, Padres v. Mets- Queens, New York Another day, another chance for a great Padre victory. Every Padre game is holy if you’re a diehard, which I’ve been for far too long. Things, however, have gotten out of hand around here lately. If we get out of the first inning tonight having given up less than five runs, I’ll basically consider the game a win. Of course,…

“This is war! This isn’t a game!” – Chris Sale to Red Sox teammates, May 2 “The only game I know is war, and war ain’t no game.” – Me to myself, two minutes ago Currently, Chris Sale may be the best pitcher in the big leagues not named Dallas Keuchel. This is his first year pitching for Boston and so far he’s been lights out, everything the Red Sox…

As the Taco Train pulled out of the station in the last ten days picking up passengers and headed to the New Jerusalem, it’s not too early to compare notes, to heed scribblings from the random and assorted. As of this writing, the Padres stand five and six, a minor miracle considering we opened with four on the road at the high rolling Dodgers, three at home against the wild…

We live in a cynical, know-it all, data based, scientific, materialist world. Everyone is an expert, nobody is a sheep. Talking heads seem to get paid by the word, 24/7 cable seems to get paid by the talking head. Santa Claus is nothing but a tooth fairy, Cinderella lost both her slippers. It’s a dreary business. It’s as if spring never gets to spring and summer doesn’t get to bloom….

Hedges, clipped alive in spring studying the heart of everything Riding in from El Paso Gunning out runners Headed for a ring Some say he can’t sing Others say he can’t bring his power to the plate but haters, they’re going to hate Yea, he’s had to wait for far too long but he never took the bait Watch him crouch like a King put out opposing stings run his…

People see me all the time and they just can’t remember how to act Their minds are filled with big ideas, images and distorted facts Even you, yesterday you had to ask me where it was at I couldn’t believe after all these years, you didn’t know me better than that – Idiot Wind, Bob Dylan I woke up on the roadside, daydreamin’ ’bout the way things sometimes are…